paid antenatal appointments

[Ra88]

I work evenings (5-10) and my 20 week scan is booked in for a day that I work.

the appointment is for 4pm. the hospital is a 20-25 minute drive from home.

how long are the appointments usually for ? obviously not taking into account hospital delays if any but as standard.

I am trying to work out when would be a reasonable time to say I will be in work as I am usually working alone so someone will have to cover until I can come in .

also just to add, I will have to take my partner home and take our car to work, which is only 2 mile from home but I will have to change , eat something quick . thanks

I think they are usually about 20 minutes but my 20 week scan took longer because the baby wouldn't sit still for his measurements.

The sonographer told me to sit outside for 30 minutes so the baby will hopefully relax in that time and we tried again. All went fine on the second try and they got the measurements, but with the waiting beforehand I was in the hospital for over an hour and a half.

I'd tell your work that your appointment should be under 30 mins but may take longer, so that can be prepare if you're much later.

My 20 week scan was about half an hour, and was on time. My 12 week scan was 2 hours late though, so I wouldn't necessarily be too optimistic about how quickly you will be done!

Can you try to swap shifts completely? It's really a question of how long is a piece of string.
Also, worst case scenario, there might be something that requires further investigation and you will need to hang around to see a consultant.

My 20 week scan took 40 mins as I had to empty my bladder to get a good picture of the heart.

My appointment was supposed to be 1.30pm but they were running half an hour late. Also at my hospital you seeca mw as standard after the anomaly scan (even if the scan is perfect as mine was) regardless of whether you normally see mw there or not (I don't as I see the community mw) so worth bearing in mind as we waited another 30mins after the scan for 5 mins with mw.

We arrived at the clinic at 1.10pm and finally left at about 3.20pm

Could you swap shifts with someone? X

You don't need to swap your shift, you are entitled to have paid time off for antenatal appointments. However it's taking the piss a bit to say that you need to have something to eat and get changed before going in - either do that prior to the scan, or swap your shift. I know if my employer caught me doing that I'd have been in trouble!

Also please get your work to cover lone working in your pregnancy risk assessment....

I won't be changing the shift as it has already been discussed with work that they will keep someone on until I get back . I was just after a rough guide of when to tell them I would be back .

I obviously will eat something between the scan and going into work as I will be leaving for the appointment at 3:15 and I won't actually be getting in on the evening after work until 10:10 so I think it's fair to say ill need to eat something quick!

About half an hour for the appt in my experience but by 4pm they could be running REALLY late...
You will just have to text them when you get out and are on your way I think.